New Bedford teen throws first pitch at Red Sox game

BOSTON — New Bedford 14-year-old Robbie Tate knew he was going to Tuesday night's Red Sox game, he just didn't know he'd be participating in it.

RYAN TREPANIER

BOSTON — New Bedford 14-year-old Robbie Tate knew he was going to Tuesday night's Red Sox game, he just didn't know he'd be participating in it.

Robbie threw out the first pitch to Derek DeCosta, his Big Brother and a New Bedford firefighter, as part of Mass Mentoring Night at Fenway Park.

"I didn't know until I was out on the field, then I kind of figured it out," Robbie said. "My heart was racing. I was happy, though. I was real happy. I was pumped."

Mr. DeCosta has been Robbie's mentor since 2005, when he called Big Brother and Big Sisters on the suggestion of girlfriend Melissa Caron.

"I had always wanted to do it, but I was under the impression it was up towards Boston, something like that. I didn't know that you could do it locally," Mr. DeCosta said. "(Ms. Caron) works at Child and Family Services, and she mentioned you can participate right in New Bedford. So I gave a call to Rich (Couse, local coordinator for Big Brothers and Big Sisters). I spoke to Rich and told him a little bit about what I was looking at, around the age, and he gave me Robbie's name. I met him in the beginning of September and then about two weeks after that, we went out for about an hour or two."

Robbie enrolled in the program at his mother's suggestion, but had to wait five years before being assigned a Big Brother.

"My father wasn't around," Robbie said. "My mother figured hopefully I'd get a Big Brother who could do stuff with me when I was sitting around bored."

"He really is a good kid, I try to tell everybody I work with," Mr. DeCosta said. "It's a shame, because there's probably a lot more deserving kids who don't ever (get a mentor). I know he waited five years. If I didn't sign up, I don't know if he'd still be waiting."

At the time they met, Robbie weighed 250 pounds and was on the verge of Type 1 Diabetes.

"He was starting to take medication at night, like the Advair just for the heavy breathing. At 5-foot-4, 5-foot-5, at 250 pounds he was on a path that wasn't exactly the healthiest in his life," Mr. DeCosta said.

Since then, Robbie has lost 60 pounds with the help of Mr. DeCosta and a personal nutritionist.

"He had me on a strict diet — no soda, nothing like that — mostly water," Robbie said, "And he had me running on the treadmill on speed five."

Tate even briefly moved in with Mr. DeCosta in February so the firefighter could keep a closer eye on his diet.

"He was making progress, but circumstances were such that financially he probably needed a little help," Mr. DeCosta said. "Sometimes it's a little cheaper to eat bad."

Now that he's in better shape, Robbie finds being active plays a bigger role in his everyday life.

"Instead of playing a video game, I can be outside playing catch, playing basketball," he said.

Mr. DeCosta's influence has also helped Robbie in the classroom — he recently made the high school dean's list.

"His grades have definitely gone up," Mr. DeCosta said. "He went from hating math to getting a 93 on his last report card. He does anything he wants to do, he's just got to believe in himself."

Robbie admits to being a bit shy sometimes, but says working on his self-confidence will be a third-year project for he and Mr. DeCosta.

"He's fine with me," Mr. DeCosta said. "He's fine with his close friends, and even with his mother. I try to introduce him to my family. He gets a little shy, but once he gets talking, you can't keep him quiet."

While the program specifies a couple hours a week together, DeCosta often goes above and beyond.

"He spends as much time as he wants with me," Mr. DeCosta said. "If I had more time, we'd probably spend more, unfortunately I don't have as much time as I would like to."

"He doesn't have all the time in the world," Robbie said, " but the time I get is appreciated. I understand what goes on, what his job entails."

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